chivvy

chiv·vy

or chiv·y  (chĭv′ē)

v. chiv·vied, chiv·vy·ing, chiv·vies or chiv·ied or chiv·y·ing or chiv·ies

v.tr.

1. To vex or harass with petty attacks: political opponents who chivvied the senator.

2. To maneuver or secure gradually: "had spent two weeks chivvying this division toward combat readiness" (Tom Clancy).

v.intr.

To scurry.

n. pl. chiv·vies or chiv·ies

1. A hunt or chase.

2. A hunting cry.

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[Variant of chevy, a hunt, hunting cry, from Chevy Chase, title of a ballad about a border skirmish, from Cheviot Chase, a large unenclosed hunting tract in the Cheviot Hills.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

chiv•vy

or chiv•y

(ˈtʃɪv i)
chiv•vied or chiv•ied, chiv•vy•ing or chiv•y•ing.

1. to chase; run after.

2. to harass; torment.

[1775–85; perhaps short for Chevy Chase, a 15th-century English ballad]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

chivvy

Past participle: chivvied
Gerund: chivvying

Imperative

chivvy

chivvy

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

chivvy - annoy continually or chronically; "He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked"; "This man harasses his female co-workers" beset, chevvy, chevy, chivy, harass, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke needle, goad - goad or provoke,as by constant criticism; "He needled her with his sarcastic remarks" annoy, devil, gravel, irritate, nark, rile, vex, nettle, rag, bother, chafe, get at, get to - cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves" bedevil, dun, rag, torment, frustrate, crucify - treat cruelly; "The children tormented the stuttering teacher" haze - harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

chivvy

verb (Brit.) nag, annoy, plague, hound, torment, harass, hassle (informal), prod, badger, pester, breathe down someone's neck (informal), pressure (informal), bug (informal), bend someone's ear (informal) She was very assertive, endlessly chivvying her staff to work harder.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

chivvy

[ˈtʃɪvɪ] VT (Brit) → perseguir, acosar
to chivvy sb into doing sth → no dejar en paz a algn hasta que hace algo

chivvy up VT + ADV [+ person] → espabilar

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

chivvy

[ˈtʃɪvi] vt (British) → harceler
to chivvy sb into doing sth → harceler qn jusqu'à ce qu'il fasse qch
to chivvy sb along → presser qn

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

chivvy

vt (Brit inf: also chivvy along or up) → antreiben; to chivvy somebody into doing something → jdn dazu antreiben, etw zu tun

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

chivvy

chivy (Am) [ˈtʃɪvɪ] vt (fam) → tormentare
to chivvy sb into doing sth → tormentare qn perché faccia qc

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995